All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

The whip was lashed halfway through—

"Snapped!"

Yue Laosan reached out and grabbed the end of the whip.

"Damn it!" Yue Laosan glared at the Tibetan warrior, his small eyes flashing with ferocity. "What are you babbling about? You dare hit my disciple?"

He gripped the whip tightly and tightened his grip. The Tibetan warrior felt a tremendous force and was pulled off his horse, falling heavily to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the two riders beside him immediately spurred their horses and charged over.

Yue Laosan picked up the man from the ground and threw him at one of the riders.

"Bang!" The rider at the front was unable to dodge in time and was hit head-on. The two rolled into a ball and fell to the ground.

Another rider had already rushed up to them.

Yue Laosan threw a backhand punch, hitting the side of the neck of the charging horse.

"Bang!"

The horse overturned and fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the situation, the warrior on the horse jumped up. While still in mid-air, he had already drawn his sword and slashed down from the air!

The blade flashed like snow, aiming straight for the heads of Yue Lao and the other two.

With a single reach of his hand, Yue Laosan grabbed the back of the sword and lifted the warrior, sword and all, into the air.

"What?" Yue Laosan raised his head, his half-exposed face full of disdain. "You dare to brandish a knife in the street?"

The samurai sensed something was wrong and tried to let go and land.

But Yue Laosan was faster. While the other person was falling, he spun around and kicked him, sending him flying backward.

The warrior flew into the air and was about to fall heavily when the yellow-robed monk, who had been sitting upright in the sedan chair, moved.

With a flash of yellow, the monk gracefully landed beside the warrior, gently lifting and placing him steadily on the ground.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly to Duan Yu and the other two.

"Amitabha. What superb skills you possess, benefactor. This humble monk is Kumārajīva of Tibet, greetings from the front."

Yue Laosan was very concerned about his reputation. Although he had held back his strength in that kick, the fact that his opponent could catch it so easily clearly showed that he was a tough opponent.

Being praised to his face by such a master made him feel very pleased. He stopped in a hurry to make a move and just stood there, craning his neck, wanting to see what tricks the monk was going to play.

After praising Yue Laosan, Kumārajīva turned to the three Tibetan warriors and said a few words in Tibetan.

The three men quickly got up, bowed to Duan Yu and his companions, and then stepped aside with their heads down, showing no trace of their previous arrogance.

Kumārajīva then bowed to the three men with his palms together.

"I have failed to properly discipline my followers, and they have been rude and uncouth, offending several of them. I hope you will forgive them. I have already reprimanded the one who offended you earlier."

He spoke sincerely and gently, and with his dignified appearance, anyone who saw him would think he was a highly accomplished monk.

Seeing his polite manner, Duan Yu quickly clasped his hands in return—

Yue Laosan, standing to the side, chuckled.

"Hypocrite!" He pointed at Kumārajīva and said in a gruff voice, "When your men were whipping my disciple just now, why didn't you come out to intervene?"

Now that they see I'm not bad at martial arts, they're scared and that's why they're pretending to be good guys here!

Upon hearing this, Kumārajīva was not angry, but simply shook his head slightly:

"You misunderstand, benefactor. I was sitting in the sedan chair just now and saw that the attendant was behaving rudely. I was already preparing to punish him."

Unexpectedly, the benefactor acted even faster, pulling him off his horse first.

Old Yue glared with his small eyes: "Bullshit! You were so far away, the whip was almost hitting my apprentice's face, and you didn't even flinch! Who would believe you saying this now?"

Kumārajīva smiled slightly: "If you don't believe me, you might as well give it a try."

He pointed to the riding whip left on the ground by the rider who had just fallen.

"You may pick up that whip and swing it in the air. If I can break it before the tip falls, then my words will be true."

Upon hearing this, Yue Laosan didn't stand on ceremony with him. He flicked his foot and hooked the horsewhip into his hand.

He looked up at Kumārajīva. Seeing the other's composed expression, as if victory was assured, he immediately felt a surge of anger:

What are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty? Grandpa's going to show you what real kung fu is all about!

Intending to embarrass the other party, he gathered all his inner strength and swung his hand fiercely.

"call--!"

The moment the whip moved, Kumārajīva slashed through the air with his right hand. An invisible burst of energy shot out.

"Snapped!"

The horsewhip in Yue Laosan's hand snapped in two, with the tip of the whip flying several feet before landing on the ground.

He looked down at the broken whip in his hand, then at Kumārajīva, and was speechless for a moment.

Kumārajīva withdrew his hand, still wearing that gentle smile: "What this humble monk said is all true. It's just that you acted too quickly, which makes it seem like this humble monk has failed in his duty of discipline. I am ashamed, truly ashamed."

After dismissing Yue Laosan with a few words, he turned his gaze to Duan Yanqing, who was standing to the side.

"This benefactor possesses extraordinary bearing. May I ask your esteemed name and the teacher you have?"

Duan Yanqing said indifferently, "I am a member of the Duan clan, and my name is not worth mentioning."

"Oh?" Kumārajīva's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

He looked Duan Yanqing up and down, then glanced at Duan Yu beside him, and said with a smile, "This young benefactor just now mentioned 'Buddhist disciples are compassionate.' That's very kind of talk."

However, Buddhism also speaks of "subduing demons and protecting the Dharma," and martial arts are tools for protecting the Dharma. The subtlety of using these tools lies in one's own mind.

He paused, then his gaze returned to Duan Yanqing: "This humble monk has long admired the illustrious reputation of the Dali Duan family. To meet them today is truly an honor. I wonder if you could bestow upon me some guidance, so that this humble monk may experience the exquisite martial arts of the Dali Duan family?"

Seeing that the fighting had just stopped but seemed about to resume, Duan Yu quickly said, "Master, please wait! The Diamond Sutra says, 'All phenomena are illusory.' Why insist on fighting here?"

Upon hearing this, Kumārajīva smiled and said, "Young benefactor, you are mistaken. The Platform Sutra says, 'The Buddha's teachings are in the world, and enlightenment is not separate from the world.'"

Martial arts are a worldly practice, so why can't they also be a form of spiritual cultivation? Both Tibet and Dali are Buddhist countries; how can martial arts competitions not be an exchange of Buddhist teachings?

Duan Yu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more.

Duan Yanqing stepped forward, raised his hand and patted his shoulder, stopping him from saying what he was about to say.

He looked at Kumārajīva and slowly said, "I have heard that there is a world-renowned high monk named Kumārajīva at the Great Snow Mountain Great Wheel Temple in the Tubo Kingdom?"

Kumārajīva smiled and clasped his hands in prayer: "It is indeed this humble monk."

"I see." Duan Yanqing nodded. "Since the Great Wheel King has extended such a generous invitation, I have no choice but to accept."

He glanced around: "But we can't use our skills here, and it might harm innocent people. How about we go outside the city?"

Kumārajīva nodded with delight: "What you say is very good, benefactor."

Duan Yanqing turned to Yue Laosan and said, "Second brother, take Yu'er back first."

Having said that, he gestured to Kumārajīva, saying, "King of Wisdom, please."

The two walked one after the other towards the south of the city.

Duan Yu stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, his heart filled with confusion.

In his memory, this uncle who had recently returned to his ancestral home was not a violent or aggressive person.

On the contrary, he was usually very indifferent to worldly affairs. Apart from urging himself to study, he would spar with Brother Zhang.

I never expected to accept their challenge today.

Could it be... that both my uncle and this Great Wheel King are martial arts fanatics?